NOLA.com Drew Brees just visiting now, but he'll earn permanent place in Pro Football Hall of Fame one day

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Drew Brees just visiting now, but he'll earn permanent place in Pro Football Hall of Fame one day

this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; Drew Brees was one of the last members of the New Orleans Saints organization to leave the Pro Football Hall of Fame museum after a tour on Saturday night, soaking in the exhibits and the history of the place for ...

Drew Brees was one of the last members of the New Orleans Saints organization to leave the Pro Football Hall of Fame museum after a tour on Saturday night, soaking in the exhibits and the history of the place for as long as he could.

MICHAEL DeMOCKER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Saints quarterback Drew Brees looks at the busts of Hall-of-Famers as the Saints visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on Saturday, August 4, 2012.
Saints at Hall of Fame gallery (14 photos)

Brees said he loved seeing all of the Saints exhibits that have started to pop up throughout the building, but he also loves the classic exhibits as well.
"The Jim Thorpe Canton Bulldog, that's one of my favorite images," Brees said. "The picture of him with the leather helmet, arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time in any sport ...

"It's awesome. Not just our stuff, but everybody's."

One day, Brees' bronze bust will be a part of that collection, too, taking its place in the room along recent Saints inductees Willie Roaf and Rickey Jackson, among others.

The 33-year-old already ranks 11th in NFL history in career passing yards (40,742), ninth in career passing touchdowns (281), second in career completion percentage (65.94 percent) and seventh in career passer rating (94.0).

Last year, Brees broke Dan Marino's record for passing yardage in a single season (5,476) and broke his own NFL record for completion percentage in a season (71.2 percent).

If he throws a touchdown pass in each of the Saints' first five games this year, he'll break Johnny Unitas' mark of 47 consecutive games with a TD pass.

And Brees has a very realistic shot at ranking among the top two or three passers in NFL history in just about every major passing category before he retires.

With four or five more seasons of 30-plus touchdowns and 4,000-plus passing yards, Brees will pass Marino, who's currently in second place in both categories. If he lasts until he's 40, Brees could even make a run at passing Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. Favre ranks first all-time with a whopping 71,838 yards and 508 touchdown passes.